25 Bible Stories With Logical Scientific Explanations

Miracles are unexplained changes in the natural order. They defy the impossible and are by definition rare. From Moses parting the red sea to Jesus resurrecting from the dead, the Bible is chock full of the miraculous, and for centuries, scholars have wondered how they could have happened. While science tries to explain the natural world and not the miraculous, occasionally scientists weigh in on the science behind Biblical miracles. Ready to hear what they have to say? Here are 25 Bible stories with logical scientific explanations.

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25

Man Made from Clay

In the book of Genesis, it says humanity was formed from clay. A Cornell University research has proposed that clay may have been the starting place of life. Clay absorbs water and creates an ideal environment for chemicals to react with each other and create proteins, DNA, and eventually living cells. Scientists also found that clay hydrogel could have protected the chemical processes until these living cells had time to be enveloped with a cell membrane.

24

The Tower of Babel

Source: http://www.livius.org/articles/place/babylon/etemenanki/

The Tower of Babel is a story where the people of Earth decided to create a tall tower and God scattered them across the world by using different languages. For some time it was believed buildings such as a tall tower was impossible for ancient people. However, scientists have pointed to the ancient ziggurats in Babylon, especially the ziggurat known as Etemananki, as the possible Tower of Babel. Ziggurat can be translated as “to rise high” and Etemananki is historically considered one of the most significant and labor intensive projects in Babylon.

23

The Virgin Birth

The virgin birth also called the Immaculate Conception was told in the gospels of Matthew and Luke and tell of Mary conceiving a child from the Holy Spirit. While there are many theories about this miracle, science claims there’s a possibility Mary may have experienced “parthenogenesis,” a process in which a mother essentially clones herself. This has been shown to happen in insects, snakes, komodo dragons, sharks and mice. The problem with this theory is that the parthenogenetic outcome would be female (because it would have to have two x chromosomes like the mother).

22

Parting of the Red Sea

In the book of Exodus, the Israelites are escaping Egypt, but to do so they have to cross the Red Sea. In the story, Moses parts the sea with his staff and they are able to cross on dry land. A scientist named Carl Drews has put forward a possible answer to how this happened. According to his master’s thesis, the Israelites crossed the “Sea of Reeds” when 60 mph winds blew through the region causing “wind setdown” which could blow the water apart. This has occurred at other places like Lake Erie.

21

Turning the Nile River to Blood

In Exodus, it says God turns the Nile river to blood. Scientists have proposed its more likely a “red tide” of toxic red algae washed into the Nile. Another researcher proposed that a deadly single celled organism could have killed all the fish and their blood filled up the river.